Feb 17, 2010

4 Leading Search Marketing Experts…do NOT think of themselves as Direct Marketers

Posted by Wendy Weber

I am a member of a group of direct marketers called the Direct Marketing Idea Exchange. We meet periodically at New York’s Yale Club to share ideas and listen to speakers who are leaders in our industry.

Today Bob Allen, interim CEO of the Direct Marketing Association, joined us. Our meeting began with a lively dialogue on the relevance and future of the DMA. It was a productive discussion that resulted in a number of interesting suggestions intended to invigorate the association.

It was interesting, and somewhat disheartening that the 4 speakers at today’s luncheon are NOT DMA members, nor do they define themselves as direct marketers:

Michael Ferrante, CEO of Endai Worldwide
Chris Humber, Group Director of SEO for 360i
Ben Kirshner, CEO of Elite SEM
Jon Queen, CEO of El Toro

They represent the new breed of direct marketers. While “old time” direct marketers speak of “traditional media” and “new media”, to this new generation of marketers, it is all simply “media”. And it seems that the term “direct marketing” is associated with “old media”.

If you define direct marketing as one-to-one marketing that is quantifiable, it certainly would still be considered very relevant. But if the new generation of thought leaders don’t embrace the existing definitions, where does that leave the rest of us? Call it symantics if you wish, but it was an eye-opening revelation to our group.

The DMA, and those of us who make our living in the arena currently known as direct marketing, must change with the times. Some of it will be as simple as becoming better acquainted with different terminology; some of it will be more complex…learning more about, and embracing, some of the newer direct channels.

It has been said that the only constant is change. That is true in life, and true in our industry…whatever we call ourselves.

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